COSTA RICA WANTS TOURISM - ON ITS TERMS

The Gulf of Papagayo on Costa Rica's northwest Pacific Coast is the kind of natural setting that visitors love: long beaches, calm waters and mountains in the distance.

Costa Rica wants to develop resorts there _ but not high-rises.

The country that earned its reputation on eco-tourism has set strict limits on growth: No more than 20 hotel rooms for every 2.5 acres and no buildings taller than three stories on Papagayo.

It's a delicate balance, but Costa Rica's new tourism chief says her country has learned from the mistakes of other travel destinations that unchecked growth can backfire and hurt business.

"If we destroy our natural resources, they don't come back," said Aida Fishman, a former travel agency owner and TV news anchor who also served as Costa Rica's minister of culture from 1990-94.

Costa Rica's newly elected government, which took office this spring, has ambitious plans to expand tourism, now the country's top industry. It hopes, for example, to attract more cruise ships, offer more business incentives and boost promotions abroad.

The goal: to increase the number of visitors by 10 percent annually from 811,000 last year, Fishman said during a promotional tour in Fort Lauderdale.

But as in Papagayo, that growth will be controlled.

"We're promoting ourselves as a different destination with unique features, among them, ecology and education," she said.

It's little wonder that such a careful strategy would come from Costa Rica. The Central American nation long has been a pioneer in development _ abolishing its army 50 years ago and investing its peace dividend in education, health and social welfare programs that are the envy of neighbors. For example, Costa Rica boasts a 98 percent literacy rate.

The country also has been at the forefront of environmentalism. Costa Rica has 24 percent of its land in national parks, among the highest rates in the world. Those parks contain rain forests, volcanoes, mangroves and other habitats _ home to sea turtles and other rare animal and plant life.

Analysts are optimistic that Costa Rica can meet its 10 percent growth target based on its solid eco-travel reputation and its relatively small tourism base.

"It's one of the strongest destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America," said Mark Blunt, manager of the Hospitality Services Group for Ernst & Young consulting firm in Miami. "I think 10 percent is achievable, especially if you count in cruise passengers."

Costa Rica sees its biggest immediate growth coming from the seas.

This year, it hopes to boost the number of cruise visitors beyond 300,000, more than triple last year's tally. The reason: a $2 million remodeling of docks at Limon on the Caribbean and a new $15 million dock at Puntarenas on the Pacific Coast.

The government also is encouraging the growth of marinas, with a Marriott hotel and marina project already planned for the central Pacific, Fishman said.

Hotel rooms also are sought. Costa Rica now has just 22,000 rooms, with 12,000 certified as tourist quality. That's less than the 28,000 rooms in Broward County, which has only about one-third of Costa Rica's population.

Developers also are looking at spas and eco-lodges across the country, especially at natural hot springs and mud baths. Ernst & Young's Blunt says he knows of one company considering an eco-lodge with Pritikin-style diets and spiritual classes that aims to attract U.S. Baby Boomers.

To lure more hotels, the government is considering new incentives. Costa Rica already offers some tax breaks, such as exemptions on import duties for construction materials. But it also hopes to end a 3 percent room tax and speed up the permit process, among other measures, Fishman said.

To get out the word about the offerings, Costa Rica aims to boost promotions overseas.

Plans call for increasing its tourism marketing budget from $7 million this year to $10 million next year. It also will expand beyond traditional North American markets to focus more on Europe, South America and on U.S. Hispanics, Fishman said.

But don't look for flashy photographs of tall hotels as the centerpiece of those ads.

From Papagayo's beaches to surfing, fishing, diving and national parks, Costa Rica is making a more natural pitch. Its slogan: "No Artificial Ingredients."